


It doesn’t matter who bothers me.

by pelicanpal



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Bodyguard Seonghwa, But sometimes you have to just embrace them, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, M/M, Mixed in with everything else, Overflowing with cliches, Pining, Protective Seonghwa, Unresolved Romantic Tension, its really not that dark, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pelicanpal/pseuds/pelicanpal
Summary: Hongjoong opened his eyes but all he could see was black. He closed his eyes and tried opening them again- still darkness. He wanted to rub at his eyes but he couldn't move his hands. They were tied behind his back. Oh god no.(or, Someone kidnapped Hongjoong, but they made a terrible mistake. They didn't account for the fact that Seonghwa was Hongjoong's bodyguard.)
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 165





	It doesn’t matter who bothers me.

**11:05 pm**

Hongjoong opened his eyes but all he could see was black. He closed his eyes and tried opening them again- still darkness. He wanted to rub at his eyes but he couldn't move his hands. They were tied behind his back. Oh god no. He struggled against the ropes, but they held fast. His legs were bound too and there was a blindfold over his eyes. Hongjoong knew it was useless to try to get out of the bonds but he tried anyway, exhausting himself from the effort. His ankles and wrists rubbed raw from the rope. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. They had actually got him. After all the precautions and security, he had let himself become vulnerable. How could he have been so stupid? 

He knew he shouldn't have run away, but he hadn't been thinking clearly. His mind had been muddled and confused. His only thought was that he needed some space to think and wallow in his embarrassment. He knew better than to let something like this come before his own safety. But he willed the panic away. He couldn’t give up hope. He knew one thing for sure- Seonghwa would come for him. 

  
  


**9:23 p.m.**

_Hongjoong looked up from his book when he sensed Seonghwa fidgeting from across the room. He only noticed because his bodyguard was usually so controlled and polished. He didn't fidget._

_"What's the matter?" Hongjoong asked._

_"Nothing. Are you okay? Should I do a sweep of the property?" Seonghwa replied, his voice neutral but his eyes attentive as always. If Hongjoong didn't know him better, he wouldn't have noticed anything different than usual. But after so much time, Hongjoong was confident in his ability to read Seonghwa. Seonghwa may have been trained to control his emotions, but Hongjoong had a vested interest in trying to understand him. Seonghwa looked normal, but he had straightened the cuffs on his sleeves too many times to fool Hongjoong._

_"No, not that. I'm fine,” Hongjoong said with a placating wave of his hand. “I'm talking about you. Out with it." Hongjoong closed his book and turned his full attention to Seonghwa to show that he wasn't going to drop the matter easily._

_Yet Seonghwa still tried to evade the question. "There is nothing the matter with me. I'm only concerned with your safety."_

_Hongjoong wanted to sigh. With Seonghwa, it always seemed like it was one step forward and two steps back between them. "I thought we were passed all that. Just talk to me like a normal person."_

_Seonghwa fidgeted with his sleeve again. "It's nothing. Really."_

_"Please," Hongjoong pleaded. It might have been a cheap play, but he knew Seonghwa had a weakness for his puppy dog eyes._

_Seonghwa averted his eyes for a moment but Hongjoong knew he had already won._

_There was a long pause before Seonghwa finally said, "It's just… I have something for you."_

_Hongjoong sat up straighter in his chair. "For me?"_

_"Yes," Seonghwa answered, but didn't elaborate further._

_"What is it?" Hongjoong prompted._

_Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong for a moment before it seemed like he came to a decision. "Excuse me for one moment." Seonghwa stood up and walked out of the room._

_Hongjoong had no idea what Seonghwa could be getting for him. Seonghwa had never given him anything before. It wasn’t even his birthday or a special holiday. He tried to contain his excitement at the prospect that Seonghwa had bought something for Hongjoong because he had been thinking of him. Luckily, Hongjoong didn't have to wait long for Seonghwa to return._

_Seonghwa walked back into the room, holding something in his hands. "Here," he said with little ceremony, holding the gift out for Hongjoong to see._

_Hongjoong looked at it and furrowed his brow. He glanced from Seonghwa to his gift again. "A cactus?" He asked. He tried to keep his tone neutral so as to not offend Seonghwa, but he was thoroughly confused._

_Of course, Seonghwa instantly noticed his hesitance and pulled the gift back towards himself. "Yes. It is a cactus."_

Cute _, Hongjoong thought when he saw the slight downturn of Seonghwa's mouth, the closest to a pout Seonghwa would ever get. A normal person would probably take the Hongjoong's confusion as a cue to explain, but not Seonghwa. Part of his training had taught Seonghwa to never add extra information not explicitly asked for. It was frustrating yet also endearing. Because the same trait that emphasized his stony demeanor as a bodyguard also appeared in his rare moments of honesty around Hongjoong, the moment where it was like he wanted to share more but he was unsure that anyone would want to hear it._

_"No, wait," Hongjoong said. "Why did you get me a cactus?"_

_"I thought you liked them."_

_"I told you that I would like a cactus?" Hongjoong asked with a slight tilt of his head._

_"No."_

_"Why did you think I would want a cactus then?"_

_"I didn't per se. I thought…" Seonghwa stopped himself and straightened his jacket._

_"Seonghwa," Hongjoong whined, lengthening the last syllable for effect. "Please, just tell me. Don't make me pull the reason out of you one word at a time."_

_"You said that you wanted to go to Mexico. But you can't. So I thought you might like a cactus instead."_

_Hongjoong paused. That explanation wasn't as clear as he hoped it would be. But once he thought about it he understood. He remembered the moment that he said he wanted to go to Mexico. It had been at the beginning when he was angry about having a bodyguard. He had argued with his father about the unnecessary precautions and claimed that Mexico would be better than this and stormed out of the office. He hadn't even realized that Seonghwa had heard that. Hongjoong was ashamed to say that he had had a bad attitude at first and didn't even take the time to acknowledge his bodyguard as a person until later. Seonghwa had been there and he didn't remember until now. It took Hongjoong a few moments to connect the dots._

_"You bought me a cactus because I was sad?" Hongjoong said slowly, like he was trying out how the words felt on his tongue. "I was sad so you thought it would remind me of Mexico and make me happy." Hongjoong swears he saw the beginnings of a blush on Seonghwa's cheeks as Hongjoong spoke. Hongjoong laughed. (It might have even been classified as a giggle.) "You wanted me to be happy so you bought me a cactus," Hongjoong said again as a warm feeling spread through his chest._

_"I'll take it back. I'm sorry I misread the situation. It won't happen again," Seonghwa said as he started to back away._

_"No, no. Please don't!" Hongjoong jumped out of his chair to stop him. "I want my present."_

_Seonghwa looked at him solemnly, but underneath Hongjoong could see it, the relief and satisfaction. Hongjoong smiled widely as he took the potted cactus from Seonghwa. "I love it."_

_Hongjoong was tempted to press the topic more, push a little harder to see what kind of reaction he could get out of Seonghwa, to see if Seonghwa was hiding the same thing that Hongjoong was. But he backed down. He had seen another glimpse of Seonghwa beyond his exterior. He wanted to see more, but he needed to be patient. Hongjoong knew he had to be in it for the long haul if he was going to get everything he wanted. And he wanted everything he could get with Seonghwa._

_Seonghwa smiled back at him. It wasn't the polite, calculated smile that Hongjoong had seen so many times. It was the genuine smile, the smile that was a little too wide and bright. It was a dichotomy to his established image as the mysterious, untouchable bodyguard and Hongjoong adored every chance he got to see it._

_Hongjoong hugged the pot closer to him to avoid doing something stupid._

**11:15 p.m.**

Seonghwa grunted as one of the thugs landed a blow on his side. The hit wasn't substantial, but Seonghwa stumbled backwards anyways to give the man a false sense of superiority. The man took the bait, leveling the next attack unprepared. Seonghwa blocked the attack easily. Using the man's surprise, Seonghwa spun him around and then flipped him over his shoulder. The man hit the ground with a resounding smack. 

Seonghwa straightened his shoulders and surveyed the hallway. There were a total of eight men strewn across the floor, including the last one he took down. No one moved. Brushing himself off, Seonghwa strode forward to the door at the end of the hall. He didn't need to guess where he was going. He knew who exactly was to blame. 

He pushed open the door, expecting another guard. But there was nothing. The office was empty. He ran his eyes across the room again, inspecting for any hidden surprises. But the sparse modern furniture offered little concealment. There was no one here. He walked across the room to a bookcase. On the third shelf, there was a small statue of Dionysis. He pulled it forward and a keypad opened at its base. He entered the override code and stepped backwards as the secret door to the safe room opened. He scoffed at the arrogance of these people. They thought that money could make them untouchable. But they were very wrong. 

When the door opened, Seonghwa saw a middle aged man cowering in the back. 

"Please. Let’s talk about this. What do you want?" The man said as Seonghwa came towards him. Seonghwa grabbed him by the collar and pushed him up against the wall. He placed his arm against the man's throat. 

"Where is he?" Seonghwa growled, not wasting any ceremony on a man like this. 

The man gasped in a shaky breath. "I don't know," he said. Seonghwa pressed down on his throat. "Wait. Wait. We can make a deal." 

Seognhwa chuckled, a noise without any mirth in it. "Which one is it. Make up your mind- either you know or you don't know. Because I can't make a deal with you if you don't know." 

The man's eyes darted around, looking for an escape. "Name your price. However much you want." 

Seonghwa ignored the man’s pathetic attempts at bribery. He was quickly tiring of this. If this wasn't the fastest way, he wouldn't have even bothered asking. "That doesn't answer my question. I'll give you one more chance. Do you know where Hongjoong is?" Seonghwa asked the question again slowly, enunciating so that the man knew that there was no room for games.

“You have to understand. It was only business,” the man pleaded. 

“Not to me. Tell me now and I might let you live.” Seonghwa pressed against the man’s throat to emphasize his point. 

But Seonghwa was stopped short when he felt the cold touch of metal against his temple and the click of a gun. "Oh Seonghwa, your emotions have made you sloppy. I don't know if you are the one in the position to be making threats here." 

  
  


**9:55 p.m.**

_Hongjoong had placed the cactus in the center of the table and attempted to return to reading his book. But it was hard to concentrate. He kept sneaking glances at the gift, smiling to himself about the possibility of what it could mean. It was probably silly. It was only a cactus, not a bouquet of roses. He shouldn’t be construing fantasies with reality._

_He finally gave up any attempt at pretending that he was reading. Maybe it was time to call it a night. Hongjoong shut his book, immediately calling Seonghwa attention to himself. Hongjoong had to remind himself that it was Seonghwa's job to watch him. "I think I'm going to go to bed."_

_"Alright. Good night, sir," Seonghwa replied._

_Hongjoong scowled. He had thought he had finally convinced Seonghwa to stop calling him ‘sir’. It felt strange with them being so close in age. Plus, Hongjoong always reminded him that his father had hired Seonghwa, not him._

_Seonghwa noticed Hongjoong's scowl. "I'm sorry. My mistake... Good night, Hongjoong."_

_"Good boy," Hongjoong replied with a wink. He had teased Seonghwa before that it was like he was training him like a puppy and he enjoyed playing it up sometimes, just to annoy Seonghwa. But this time Seonghwa didn't get mad at the teasing. Instead, he just stared intently at Hongjoong. Maybe the wink was too much. Hongjoong hadn't done that before. It was definitely time to go to bed before he did anything else._

_While avoiding looking at Seonghwa, he grabbed his book from the table and almost left until he remembered the cactus. He couldn't leave without that. He shifted his book to his other hand and reached out to grab it from the table. But Hongjoong made the mistake of glancing at Seonghwa at that moment. Seonghwa had looked away but Hongjoong caught his side profile. There was a small smile on his lips and he chose that moment to run his fingers through his hair, ruffling the careful style that he usually wore it in. Hongjoong was so distracted by the image that he blindly reached out towards the cactus and struck his hand on the spikes._

_"Ouch," Hongjoong yelped and retracted his hand quickly._

_"What's wrong?" Seonghwa asked, alert and attentive._

_"I'm fine. I just poked my hand on the cactus." There were quite a few cactus spines sticking out of his hand. No wonder it hurt so much. He needed to get those out._

_"Stop! Don't do that," Seonghwa warned, grabbing Hongjoong's hand. "You can't pull them out with your hands. You have to be careful."  
_

_"It's okay. It's not serious. I can take care of it," Hongjoong said, pulling his hand away. Seonghwa just gave him an exasperated look and shook his head._

_"You don't know what to do. Have you ever done this before?" Seonghwa asked as he ushered Hongjoong towards a chair._

_"No. Have you?" Hongjoong shot back._

_"Yes. Many times." That answer surprised Hongjoong. They lived in Korea. Where had Seonghwa run into a cactus so many times? Of course, Seonghwa didn't say more. He just pointed at the chair and Hongjoong sat down. He guessed he lost this one. "Don't touch it. I'll be back," Seonghwa said and left the room._

_Hongjoong sat quietly and stared grumpily at his hand. He just wanted to go to bed, but now he had spikes sticking out from his hand. He was tempted to blame the cactus, but he couldn't. Even looking at it still made him smile._

_Seonghwa walked back into the room and placed tweezers, gauze, and a bottle of glue on the table. He pulled a chair up close to Hongjoong and motioned for him to hold out his hand. Seonghwa gently held onto his wrist to steady the hand and leaned closer to inspect the area. Using the tweezers, he began to methodically pull out the larger spines. They both remained quiet as he worked. Hongjoong content to just watch him as he worked._

_After Seonghwa removed the last one, Hongjoong stuttered out a 'thank you' and wanted to leave, his hand still stinging and his heart beating too fast from just sitting still._

_"I'm not done," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong watched him curiously as Seonghwa grabbed the bottle of glue._

_"This will pull out all the little spikes that are too small for the tweezers," Seonghwa explained. When Hongjoong still looked at him doubtfully, Seonghwa added, "Trust me. This works."_

_Hongjoong stopped himself from saying something obvious and cliche to that, like_ always _. Instead, he asked, "Where did you learn how to do this?"_

_Seonghwa spread the glue carefully across his hand before answering. "The desert."_

_"Why were you in the desert?" Hongjoong pressed._

_When Seonghwa didn't answer right away, Hongjoong figured that that was the end of the conversation. Seonghwa seemed more interested in watching the glue dry than answering him. Hongjoong sighed._

_"For an assignment." Seonghwa said, suddenly breaking the silence. "But it didn't end well. They… umm," Seonghwa started but paused and cleared his throat. "They died."_

_Hongjoong's heart hurt seeing the guilt and shame written across Seonghwa's face. "I'm so sorry," Hongjoong said. It didn't feel like enough, but he didn't know what else to say. Seonghwa didn't seem to hear him, lost in his own thoughts. Hongjoong knew that expression- he had experienced it enough with himself to recognize it. The never ending reply of the moment to find a different ending- the what ifs and I should haves. “Seonghwa, you can’t blame yourself. You need to let it go.”_

_Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, his eyes sharp. “How do you know? You don’t know what happened.”_

_Hongjoong was taken aback by Seonghwa’s expression. He had never looked at Hongjoong like that before. But Hongjoong just looked at him with a soft smile. “You’re right. I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t there, but I do know you. And I know that you would do everything that you could.”_

_Seonghwa didn’t reply. He just stared at Hongjoong with his haunted eyes. Hongjoong wanted to pull him close and hold him, but he knew that was not his place, not right now. It had to be enough to have these little moments where Seonghwa opened up and let Hongjoong see another glimpse of him. Then suddenly the moment was gone. Seonghwa closed his eyes and when he opened them again, his usual controlled expression had returned._

_Seonghwa sat back in his chair. “The glue needs to set. We have to wait.”_

_Hongjoong tried to curb his disappointment that the moment was gone, but he understood. He needed to shake it off. He looked around and tried to think of another conversation topic, something more lighthearted and trivial. But his mind kept circling back to one thought. He shouldn’t, but he said it anyways._

_“Hey, Seonghwa," He started in order to grab Seonghwa's attention. When he had it, he said, "Nothing is going to happen to me.”_

_“What?” Seonghwa asked, clearly confused._

_“You don’t have to worry about me. Nothing is going to happen to me,” Hongjoong repeated. Seonghwa still seemed confused by this sudden declaration. “And, do you know how I know?” Hongjoong asked._

_Seonghwa humored him. “How do you know?”_

_“Because you wouldn’t let it,” Hongjoong declared with wide eyes and a sly smile._

_Seonghwa looked like he wanted to laugh at Hongjoong’s sudden attitude. His statement was so naive and audacious that Seonghwa knew it was an exaggeration. “You have a lot of confidence in my abilities.”_

_“I do,” Hongjoong replied, serious this time. “I know you.”_

_Seonghwa searched his face. Hongjoong didn’t shy away. He wanted Seonghwa to know that he meant it. Seonghwa didn’t say anything, but Hongjoong almost thought he saw Seonghwa’s eyes stray down towards his lips. But that couldn't be true, could it?_

_“The glue is dry,” Seonghwa said and Hongjoong knew it was probably only his imagination. Seonghwa slowly pulled off the glue, the little spikes going with it. Then, he wrapped the gauze around Hongjoong’s hand. When he finished, Hongjoong asked, “Are they all gone now?”_

_Hongjoong almost hoped the answer would be ‘no’ so that he could have an excuse for Seonghwa to play doctor again. But Seonghwa said, “Yes, I think they’re all gone. You can probably take this off tomorrow.”_

_“Okay,” Hongjoong said slowly, because at that moment, he had noticed that Seonghwa was still holding onto his wrist, even though he didn’t necessarily need to anymore. Hongjoong's breath hitched when Seonghwa gently ran his thumb back and forth across the skin at his wrist. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, unsure whether he should say something or not. He didn’t and Seonghwa continued his gentle motion, sending little waves of warmth throughout Hongjoong. Finally, Hongjoong took a deep and opened his eyes. Seonghwa’s face was close, closer than it had ever been._

_Hongjoong was careful. He didn’t know what Seonghwa was thinking. He didn’t want to scare him away, but he also didn’t know if they were ready for what this could mean. Or if it would mean anything to Seonghwa at all. Hongjoong blinked slowly and when Seonghwa didn’t disappear, he let himself hope a little bit. He let himself appreciate how dark and deep Seonghwa’s eyes were from this close. He let himself look down at his pink lips that were so close. Maybe it was okay. Maybe this was what he had been waiting for. Maybe he could get what he wanted._

_So he leaned forward and kissed Seonghwa. It was so short and hesitant that it barely registered that he had actually done it. When he pulled back, Seonghwa didn't do anything but open his eyes. And that was all Hongjoong needed to fully comprehend what he had just done. It washed over him like a bucket of cold water. He couldn’t face Seonghwa right now. He needed to get away. He bolted up from his chair, knocking it over in haste, and ran out the back door. He didn’t care where he was going as long as it was somewhere else. He ran aimlessly into the large backyard of the estate, disregarding the darkness. He didn't care as long as it got him away from this giant mistake. If only he had known that there was someone else lurking in the darkness waiting for him._

  
  


**11:45 p.m.**

Hongjoong heard movement outside his cell. There were footsteps and a muted conversation. Then, he heard the door open and someone walk inside. The person stopped in front of him. He couldn't see them with the blindfold still covering his eyes.

“Have you ever wanted to know how much you’re worth?” the voice said. The voice was low, belonging to a male. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Hongjoong’s mind was too clouded to place it. “No matter if you have or not. We’re going to figure it out soon enough.” 

“What do you want?” Hongjoong asked. He tried to keep his voice firm, but his throat was dry and scratchy. 

“Oh, nothing from you. Just think of this as a necessary evil.” 

“What?” 

“Well, I didn’t want to take you, but on the other hand I did want money. So, you see, even if I didn’t necessarily want to, I had to take you,” the man said. 

“Then, let me go.” 

“I know you’re not stupid, so please don’t act that way. You know I can’t do that. Not until I get what I want.” 

“You made a mistake,” Hongjoong said. 

“I did?” The man asked, the amusement obvious in his voice, like he thought it was impossible for him to make a mistake. 

“Yes, you did.” 

“And what would that be? Do you think that your dad won’t pay?” 

“No, something else. But you will regret it.” 

“Something else? Hmm… let me think. Could you possibly be talking about Seonghwa?” 

Hongjoong was surprised to hear the man refer to Seonghwa by name. He hadn’t been expecting that. 

“I didn’t forget about him,” The man said. “How do you think I knew about you?” 

No. That couldn’t be true. Hongjoong refused to believe it. The man came closer to him and pulled off the blindfold. The room was dark, but Hongjoong could clearly see the sinister smile on the man’s face. He didn't recognize the man's face, but he knew he wouldn't forget it now. The man was enjoying Hongjoong’s distress. 

“I don’t believe you,” Hongjoong replied. 

“It doesn’t matter. You had just better worry about whether your dad pays or not. You’re not worth anything to me if he doesn’t,” the man said checking his watch. “He had better call before midnight. I’m not a very patient man.” 

**11:50 p.m.**

The guard stood at his station, bored and drowsy. It was late and he hadn’t eaten yet. The boss said he could eat after they finished this job, but the guard was getting tired of waiting. He hated jobs like this, guarding a hostage and waiting around for a ransom. They always paid the ransom and didn’t even try to rescue the hostage, too scared of someone getting hurt. Too predictable and monotonous for his taste. He walked up and down the hallway again to pass the time. He never thought signing up for a life as a mercenary would be so boring. He adjusted the strap on his rifle again. He noticed that it was getting pretty worn. Maybe he should buy a new one with the money from this job. Wait. He paused and listened. What was that noise? It sounded like dripping water. That was new. He hadn’t heard that before. It sounded like it was coming from the end of the hallway. He went to investigate, partly out of curiosity and partly to stop it because he knew it would drive him crazy if he had to listen to that while he waited. He rounded the corner to see a metal bucket placed underneath a faucet. Weird, he thought. And that was his last thought before he was knocked out cold. 

**11:57 p.m.**

Hongjoong was growing more anxious as the deadline approached. The man kept pacing back and forth, spewing taunts that Hongjoong decided to ignore. He knew he was going to get out of here. No matter what the man said, Hongjoong didn’t doubt it. Not even a little bit. 

“Two minutes left,” the man said, coming closer to stand in front of Hongjoong. “Maybe we will be figuring out how much you’re worth, just not what I expected. It would be disappointing for me, but probably more so for you. How devastating would it be to find out your worth nothing.” 

Hongjoong stared straight ahead. He refused to cower before this man or anyone else. 

“I almost hope he doesn’t pay,” the man said, leaning down to invade Hongjoong’s personal space. “Just to see what it would do to you.” 

Hongjoong stared past the man. Then, Hongjoong noticed something behind the man. Hongjoong gaze shifted and he met the man’s eyes. There was nothing special in the man’s eyes, but now Hongjoong knew something the man didn’t. Hongjoong couldn’t help himself from letting a tiny smirk form on his lips. The man’s eyes narrowed. But it was too late. There was a large bang as the door to the room was thrown open. The man spun around, but Hongjoong hardly noticed. He didn’t care about what that man did anymore. Because in the doorway stood Seonghwa. 

Seonghwa looked from Hongjoong tied to the chair to the man. The man raised his hands to placate Seonghwa. “I’ll let you have some of the money,” the man said, but it didn’t matter. Seonghwa stalked towards him, his eyes flashing with cold fury. 

The man tried to evade the blow, but he was too slow. He was knocked down off his feet with a single hit. Seonghwa stood over him, looking like he might continue. 

Hongjoong coughed and Seonghwa’s attention shifted immediately. Hongjoong had been trying to call out for him, but the words got caught in his throat. Seonghwa ran over to him and untied the ropes. “Are you hurt?” he asked, checking over Hongjoong for injuries. 

“No, I’m alright,” Hongjoong said. But Seonghwa caught sight of the rope burn on his wrist and Hongjoong swears he heard him growl. 

“Hey, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong called to draw his attention back to him. “Look at me. I’m fine.” 

Seonghwa met his eyes and a little bit of the fury faded from his gaze. “Why did you run away?” he asked, his voice softer than it had been before. 

“I’m sorry,” Hongjoong said, looking down.

“You can’t do that again,” Seonghwa said. He cupped Hongjoong’s cheek, forcing him to meet his eyes. Seonghwa’s eyes were searching, almost pleading, seeking some sort of reassurance. 

Hongjoong reached up and covered Seonghwa’s hand with his own. “I won’t. I promise. I didn’t know before, but now I do. And I won’t go again.” 

That was enough for now. Seonghwa nodded. “Let’s go.” He helped Hongjoong stand up and then walked towards the door. Hongjoong looked around the cell. Even though he was saved, he knew this room would haunt his dreams for a long time. “Hongjoong?” Seonghwa called from the doorway. 

Hongjoong turned and joined Seonghwa. For now, he was going to be okay as long as he could stay with Seonghwa.

**Author's Note:**

> Backstory in case someone wanted to know: Seonghwa was hired by Hongjoong's father to protect him from possible kidnappers. But Seonghwa's company turned on him and kidnapped Hongjoong. 
> 
> So this was pretty self-indulgent. I wanted to write something like this after watching 'Where you eyes linger', then I got inspiration from a cactus (somehow) and this was the result. I know it's a little cheesy and there are some plot holes, but I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always let me know what you think! 
> 
> Title from "Cactus" by A.C.E.
> 
> Extra Note: I realized that I write a lot about Hongjoong being saved somehow by Seonghwa and I thought that maybe I should flip the script. I didn't for this one, but maybe possibly for the next one.


End file.
